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7/28/2019 Generalstrength- Boo Schexnayder
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Using General Strength in the Training Regimen
Boo Schexnayder, Schexnayder Athletic Consultingwww.sacspeed.com
General Strength exercises are exercises that develop strength, using the athletes bodyweight
as the sole load or resistance. In general strength work no external loading is applied. General
strength exercises can run the gamut from simple traditional exercises like the pushup or the
situp, to highly advanced, complex exercises designed to address very specific goals. These
exercises train a variety of abilities and should comprise a large part of any strength
development program.
Strength Development. When dealing with young, developmental athletes, general strengthexercises are a safe way to provide a variety of strength development activities in the program.
The absence of external loading keeps injury risks minimal and makes then applicable for
athletes of any age. Also, unlike weight training, the safety characteristics of general strength
work mean that large numbers of athletes can be managed efficiently with a minimum of
individualization. Skilled exercise choice can make the program as easy or as difficult as the
coach desires.
Improving Coordination. General strength exercises use the athletes bodyweight as the
resistance load. For this reason generous doses of general strength work teach athletes to
better manipulate their bodies, improving general coordination and flexibility and enhancing
technique in any sport. Many coaches regard general strength work as a mix of strength and
coordination training.
Body Balancing. The lack of external loading in general strength exercises virtually eliminates
the possibility of overtraining and developing muscle imbalances. Also, general strength work is
capable of activating, training, and strengthening small muscles and muscle groups that other
means of strength training dont reach, further improving agility, mobility, and many other
qualities.
Recovery. General Strength exercises affect the bodys recovery processes as well. These
exercises, when done in certain ways, increase the level of certain hormones related torecovery from exercise. For this reason, many coaches use general strength exercises on
recovery-themed days, in order to accelerate the recovery from the previous days work.
Developing Endurance. General strength exercises can be combined into circuits or groups
that challenge and develop an athletes endurance abilities. A skilled coach can administer
these exercises with carefully chosen work and rest intervals to train aerobic or anaerobic
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fitness. Very short sprints can be mixed in to increase demand. These circuits can be made as
easy or as difficult as desired.
Injury Prevention. Using general strength to develop endurance has the added advantage of
minimizing injury risk when compared to using running workouts for the same purpose. The
variety of movements employed in a general strength circuit virtually eliminates all overuseinjuries and repetitive movement syndromes. Also, fatigue-related degradation of running
mechanics is eliminated as well.
Types of General Strength Exercises
Calisthenics are simple, gross body movements. Often these exercises involve bodypositions that create resistance or challenge ranges of motion. These exercises are
typically arranged into circuits, with specified work and rest intervals. This type of work
is commonly used to develop basic general strength qualities, coordination, and energy
system fitness.
Abdominal/Spinal Work consists of callisthenic exercises designed to address theseparticular areas. Because of the importance of this body region to performance, most
training programs address this area separately and specifically.
Stabilization Routines develop the ability to stabilize joints and large muscle groupsduring activity. These muscle groups must possess enough strength endurance to
function throughout the course of the activity. Often these exercises require joints or
body parts to remain stationary under circumstances of loading or instability. At other
times they may require very slow, uniform movements of body parts. Strengthening of
postural muscles and improvement of coordination, flexibility and balance result from
this type of work.
Connective Tissue Routines are exercises that create great tension in the connectivetissue, under conditions of very slow movement. These also address muscle tissue as
well, and help to improve flexibility, muscular strength and endurance as well as
connective tissue strength.
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Sample General Strength Applications
3. Pillar Circuit. This circuit should include a variety of
exercises that concentrate on the abdominals, the
lumbar spine, and the obliques. 12-16 total sets, with
20 seconds work/20 seconds rest being a good
starting point. Suggested exercises can include situps,crunches, back hyperextensions, sideways situps,
crunches and hyperextensions combined with twisting
movements, etc.
2. Burnouts. The athlete is asked to perform 10
squats, 10 lunges, then 10 squat jumps, continuously,
at a consistent cadence. After a rest period of 2
minutes, another set is performed. The workout canconsist of 2 or 3 sets. The same concept can be
applied to the upper body, choosing exercises for the
arms, chest, and upper back.
1. Scramble Circuit. This is a good way to train basicgeneral strength and endurance. The athletes are
placed on a start line, facing in the same direction, with
another line designated 10 meters from the start line.
The coach gives a start command, and the athlete
begins to perform a designated general strength
exercise. After the work interval, the coach shouts
Sprint, and the athletes quickly get to their feet and
sprint 10 meters to the next line. They then walk back
and reset for the next exercise. Performing pushups,
squats, situps, and back hyperextensions (3 sets of
each) are suggested, although nearly any simple
movement can be used. The circuit should include 12
total sets of work, with 20 seconds of work/40 seconds
of rest being a good starting point for most levels of
athletes.
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These by no means are representative of all of the variety of exercises and workout constructs
available to the coach, but are meant as a starting point to demonstrate potential applications
of this type of work. Once the coach gains experience in administering circuits like these, one
can quickly adapt them to a variety of goals by choosing different exercises, work intervals, and
rest intervals.
5. Planks. Plank exercises require an athlete to
maintain a stable posture while assuming an
inherently unstable position. For example, an
athlete might assume a pushup position, prone,
with weight on the hands and feet and the body
held straight. Once assuming this position, the
athlete slowly raises and lowers one foot while
maintaining stability in the remainder of the body.
Other variations might place the body in a supine
position or on the side, with the hands or elbows
supporting body weight. 8-10 exercises, using 15
seconds of work with each leg, followed by 15
seconds of rest are suggested.
4. Duck Walks. These exercises are a good but
simple way to train connective tissue. Athletes
assume a deep squat position and withoutrising, walk 10 meters at a slow but consistent
pace. The entire circuit consists of 2 sets of 10
meters each of forward walks, backwards walks,
and lateral walks to each side.
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